First Chess images released

It begins again tonight! The epic musical love story Chess opens for previews at the London Coliseum, starring Michael Ball as Anatoly, Alexandra Burke as Svetlana, Cedric Neal as The Arbiter, Tim Howar as Freddie, Cassidy Janson as Florence, and Phillip Browne as Molokov.

First penned in 1984 by ABBA songwriters Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, and Tim Rice (Jesus Christ Superstar, The Lion King, Evita), this is the first West End production of Chess since 1986 – and the first production images of this exciting revival are below.

Michael Ball in Chess (Photo: Brinkhoff/Mogenburg)

Tim Howar in Chess (Photo: Brinkhoff/Mogenburg)

Tim Howar and the company of Chess (Photo: Brinkhoff/Mogenburg)

Cassidy Janson in Chess (Photo: Brinkhoff/Mogenburg)

Alexandra Burke in Chess (Photo: Brinkhoff/Mogenburg)

Chess tells a story of love and political intrigue, set against the background of the Cold War in the late 1970s/early 1980s, in which superpowers attempt to manipulate an international chess championship for political ends.

The original London production of Chess, which ran for three years at the Prince Edward Theatre, starred the likes of Elaine Paige and Murray Head, and followed a highly successful recording featuring the same stars, including the international hit singles I Know Him So Well and One Night In Bangkok.